


Discovering

by BehindTheRobinsMask



Series: JayDick Flashfic Prompts [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Crack, Cute, Empath, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Romance, jaydick_flashfic: superpowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-14
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-11-18 03:48:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18112664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BehindTheRobinsMask/pseuds/BehindTheRobinsMask
Summary: In a world where some people develop abilities after turning 18, Jason was just another normal human being, left with nothing but side effects from the Pit. He was wrong, very very wrong.Or, the one-time Zitka almost fed Jason to the lion.





	Discovering

_“Morning’s here! The morning’s here! Sunshine is near!”_

Sunlight streamed through the open window as the curtains swayed gently with the wind, the neighbors annoying singing breaking into Jason’s dream about Sailor Moon. Well, at least that saved him from seeing himself transform into a magic girl. Seriously, sometimes he just couldn’t understand his brain.

_“Morning’s here!”_

_“Oh my god, Jeff! Could ya shut the fuck up?!”_

Stretching his limbs and stifling a yawn, Jason rubbed his eyes, lips turned into a frown as he heard his neighbors (he assumed it was them though he was sure that no one named Jeff lived in the building) argue. Honestly, this happened every morning, when would Jeff learn his lesson?

Shaking his head, Jason glanced at the calendar, feeling squeamish as he saw the date. Dick would say that he was feeling butterflies in his stomach but Jason wasn’t a middle school girl crushing on some pretty boy in a band. He was a grown ass adult (even though his boyfriend was pretty enough to pass as a movie star. How did he end up with Dick Grayson again?) and adults didn’t feel butterflies.

Ignoring the strange feeling in his stomach, Jason got out of bed and headed to the kitchen, desperate for some tea to wake himself up properly. That’s where he found Dick, sitting by the counter in only his boxers, devouring a bowl of cereal.

“Do you ever eat anything besides cereal?” he asked, opening a cupboard to get a tea bag.

A smirk spread across Dick’s face and he made a show off shoving the next spoon of his sugary breakfast into his mouth. “Why should I when cereal is the best meal in the world?” he asked, chewing loudly while Jason’s lips turned in disgust.

If anyone ever looked at Dick with his blue eyes and sculpted face, his easy smile and wavy black hair, they’d think he was the epitome of beauty and charm. Jason knew better though. Dick was lazy, loud and on most days a sloth who survived on sugar and take out. And despite the fact that he drove Jason crazy with how messy he was, Jason loved him to the moon and back.

 “So what are we doing today?” Dick asked, picking up his now empty bowl and actually washing it instead of leaving it in the sink.

Jason smiled behind his cup of chamomile tea and shrugged. A few weeks ago, he had told Dick to keep this particular day free, no vigilante work or police work but he never told him why. His boyfriend had agreed happily, looking forward to figuring out what Jason had planned but till now, he had little to no success.

Humming happily, Dick stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Jason’s waist, placing a chaste kiss on his jaw. “I can feel your excitement,” he said, closing his eyes. “And your nervousness. Are you planning on getting into some kind of trouble, Mr. Todd?”

That was another thing with Dick. While he seemed like just another human being, he wasn’t as normal. Apart from being a vigilante, Dick Grayson had a special ability: he could sense and sometimes even influence the emotions of the people around him. He was an empath and an especially strong one, just like his mother. When they were younger, Jason had always assumed that Dick would be like his father, that he would grow wings after turning 18 and he had but that’s not where the changes ended.

Usually people only inherited an ability from one of their birth parents but of course, that wasn’t the case with Dick. He was special and now he had the looks and the abilities to be the angel everyone thought he was.

Jason, on the other hand, was normal. He had always hoped that he would develop an ability, something cool when he turned eighteen but then he had died and come back to life. Even so, no abilities. The only thing his resurrection gave him was anger and madness. While the anger was gone, there were days when Jason was sure that he could hear voices even when no one was around.

“I’m still not telling,” Jason said, kissing Dick slowly. “Now go get ready. We have a long day ahead of us.” He pushed his boyfriend towards the door. With one last smile, Dick headed inside to get ready, giving Jason time to go through his phone and all the unopened messages from his friends and family.

_Good luck, Jay! Don’t mess it up! – Roy._

_I’ve told B that you and Dick will be off patrol today considering… ya know – Tim._

_Todd, you will mess up. Let me take your place in the plan – Damian_

The last one had Jason rolling his eyes expecting nothing else from the demon brat. He was more than capable of going down on one knee to propose to his boyfriend. For someone who danced with death on a daily basis, this was nothing. It was child’s play. Jason’s heart was definitely not beating out of control nor was he breathing hard.

He wasn’t freaking out damn it!

Taking a deep breath, Jason concentrated on other things like how he needed to finish his tea before it got cold and how he needed to get dressed. If he focused on one task at a time, he wouldn’t feel so nervous. There were other things he needed to take care of before the big moment.

“Jay? You okay?” Dick asked peeking out from the bedroom.

Of course, he sensed something was wrong.

“I’m fine, Dickie. Now get dressed. I don’t want to be late because you took too much time in front of the mirror.”

Dick smirked with amusement before disappearing into the room once again. Downing the last of his tea, Jason headed inside, hoping for the best.

 

 

“Oh my god, Jay!” Dick gasped as he stepped out of the car, eyes wide with childlike excitement. “I didn’t even know!”

Jason smiled at his boyfriend as he pulled him close and kissed his forehead. “Well, you were busy because of Bruce so I was sure you wouldn’t notice the posters.” And he had been right. Just as Dick started spending hours at the manor, working a case with Bruce, Jason had been left to patrol on his own. During that time he came across a poster that announced the arrival of Haly’s Circus to Gotham City. This circus was the place where Dick lived with his family, the place where he first learned to fly. This circus was where Jason saw the man he would love his whole life.

It was the perfect place to take the next step towards their future.

“I love you so much,” Dick whispered, cupping Jason’s face in his hands and leaning their heads together.

“I love you too, Dickiebird,” Jason said, glad that he could make his boyfriend happy. That’s how Dick Grayson should always be, smiling, content. “Now, come on, I think there are some people you want to introduce me too.”

 

 

Some people had been an understatement because Dick knew everyone that worked in the circus, from the performers to the technicians, there wasn’t a person left that he didn’t want to greet and hug. While Jason didn’t mind, for the most part, a forced reading by the fortune teller left him shaken because she knew what he was going to do and had not so subtly threatened his life if he hurt Dick when they were left alone for a second.

With some time left for the show to start, Jason had assumed that he would spend it roaming around with Dick but then Haly happened. A smile and a request were all it took for his boyfriend to agree to perform for the circus one more time. Jason wanted to be excited but this simple request had kind of ruined his plan which was to propose when the trapeze artists were performing but now since Dick was going to be up with the performers himself, changes had to be made.

“Jason! This way!” Dick exclaimed as he dragged Jason towards a tent, eyes shining with excitement.

Jason just couldn’t be upset when his boyfriend looked like that. So what if things weren’t going exactly the way he had planned? The purpose was to make Dick happy and if he had to push back his proposal to later in the night, so be it.

Smiling, Jason followed Dick into the tent only to come face to face with an elephant, one that he had heard a lot about. With a laugh, Dick threw himself at the elephant’s trunk, hugging her tightly.

“Hey, girl. How are you?” he asked as the elephant wrapped her trunk around his waist.

_“He’s here. He’s here. My little baby is here!”_

As the words reached Jason’s ears, he looked back, brows furrowed. While Dick was busy cuddling Zitka, he peeked outside but there seemed to be no one around. Was he really hearing voices today of all days?

Jason had just stepped back into the tent when Dick turned towards him, face confused having read his emotions. “Everything okay?” he asked.

“Don’t worry about it, Pretty Boy.” Jason shook his head and then turned his attention to Zitka. “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

Dick grinned, gently rubbing Zitka’s trunk and nodded. “Zitka, this is my boyfriend Jason.”

“Uh… a pleasure,” Jason said not knowing what the proper etiquette was for meeting your boyfriend’s elephant baby sitter. Zitka, on the other hand, tightened her grip around Dick, a glint of danger in her eyes. If he wasn’t so sure he was seeing and hearing things, Jason would have thought that Zitka was going to run him over.

“Well.” Dick clapped his hands together. “I have to go get ready so why don’t you two hang out until it’s time for the show?”

“Dick, no. Wait-” Jason started but his boyfriend was out the tent.

Feeling completely out of place and slightly scared, Jason turned his attention towards Zitka who was still giving him the stink eye. “So, you’ve been with the circus for long?” he asked and then cringed as the words left his mouth. Why was he like this?

_“Amateur.”_

Jason turned towards the tent entrance, waiting for someone to walk in or to at least see a shadow but once again, there was no one there. Was this his slow descent into madness?

_“Don’t ignore me when I’m talking to you.”_

Slowly and steadily, Jason turned his gaze back to Zitka who had stepped closer. Dread settled in the pit of his stomach, realization leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. Oh, god. This could not be happening to him. There had to be someone playing a trick on him. But as the elephant glared down at him, Jason simply couldn’t run from the truth.

“You can… talk?” he asked and Zitka let out a puff of air from her trunk that sounded vaguely like a snort.

_“No, you foolish human. You’re the one who can understand me.”_

“So… I can talk in… elephant?”

_“You are dumber than I assumed. Do you not know that you humans tend to develop abilities once you come off age?”_

“Of course I know! But I never… I wasn’t supposed to…” Jason started but trailed off as the pieces connected in his mind. All those times he thought he was hearing voices, all those times…was he? No. It couldn’t be. “I think I’m going to start freaking out,” he whispered and the elephant snorted again.

_“You humans just assume that animals aren’t capable of coherent thoughts. It is honestly your fault.”_

“Yeah… us humans are dumb.” Jason let out a weak laugh as his mind raced, eyes widening every time a piece connected. He could talk to animals.

Good, god, he could talk to animals.

Suddenly, Zitka placed her trunk on Jason’s head. _“Take a deep breath,”_ she ordered and Jason did as he was told.

_“Another.”_

He took another deep breath.

_“Good. Now, one last time.”_

By the time he exhaled, Jason could feel himself calm down, even if it was just a little. He looked at the positive side of things. If the animals were cooperative, it would make getting information that much easier. But the bigger bonus was that he could tease Damian. The little brat would never see this coming. He was already thinking of all the lies he could tell the demon about his pets’ thoughts.

 _“Feeling better?”_ Zitka asked, her trunk brushing his hair gently and Jason nodded.

“Yes. Much. You know for an elephant, you’re pretty freaking articulate.”

Just as the words left his mouth, Jason regretted it because Zitka went from brushing his hair to wrapping her trunk around his waist and lifting him into the air. _“Just because I’m an elephant doesn’t mean I don’t know more than you tiny human. If I went to college, I could have multiple Ph.D.’s in the time you get one.”_

“Yes. Definitely. I’m so sorry,” Jason squeaked but Zitka didn’t let him go. Instead, she started marching outside the tent, Jason clinging to her trunk for dear life.

“W-where are we going?” he asked and Zitka let out a laugh.

_“It’s time you met the rest of my family. I think Simba would definitely want to see you.”_

“Who’s Simba?”

_“The lion.”_

Oh hell.

 

 

After an hour of being grilled by all the animals the zoo traveled with, barely escaping with his life, Jason was sitting backstage with the rest of the performers, watching the trapeze artists start their act. Beside him, stood Zitka and while Jason was mostly relaxed around her, he also kept his guard up because what if she decided he wasn’t good enough for Dick and threw him in Simba’s cage?

Cat food was not how Jason wanted to go.

All his nervousness and his fear were forgotten as his eyes fell on Dick who stood on the podium with a big smile. The other two artists were good but no one could ever compare to Dick Grayson.

 _“Look at my beautiful boy.”_ Zitka hummed happily and at that moment Jason realized that she truly did adore Dick.

With the way the older had talked about her, it was obvious that Zitka had been an important part of her childhood. She was so caring that Dick’s parents trusted her to look after a child and never once did she let Dick get hurt in her care. He was family and she spoke about him as if he was her son. Just because of this, Jason really hoped that she would give him her blessings.

Sighing, he glanced at Zitka and wondered how he could convince the elephant baby sitter that he really did love Dick and while the older could do better than him, he wanted to give him nothing but the world.

Well, it was time for a monologue and that, unfortunately, wasn’t the weirdest thing Jason had done (Sleeping with Talia would always be the weirdest).

“So… um… you clearly don’t like me and that’s okay. I don’t like myself on most days.” Okay, that was a terrible start. He was supposed to impress the elephant, not make her hate him more. “I know Dick is way out of my league but the thing is, I’ve loved him since forever and it didn’t matter how much distance I put between us, those feelings never changed. I’ve hurt him, multiple times but despite all the pain, he was the one who never gave up on me. He was the one who showed me what it meant to be wanted, to be loved and cherished. All I want to do is make him happy, give him everything that he deserves.”

_“Do you promise?”_

Jason smiled. “I promise and if I go back on that, you’re more than welcome to turn me into cat food.”

“I don’t know about that, Jay. If you become cat food then how are we supposed to make up?” A voice asked, making Jason freeze to the spot. Slowly he turned around to find Dick standing behind him, hands on his hip and an amused smirk on his face. He closed the distance between them and kissed Jason, slow and deep. “You really say the sweetest things,” Dick hummed, nuzzling the younger’s cheek.

“Well, I have another sweet thing to say to you.” Jason smiled and Dick looked at him, eyebrows raised.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Pulling out a small velvet box from his pocket, Jason went down on his knees just as Dick’s eyes widened. “Richard John Grayson, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

Tears formed in Dick’s eyes as he looked from the ring to Jason, feeling every bit of love the younger felt for him. “Yes,” he whispered, reaching out for Jason. “Yes. Yes. Yes!”

Getting to his feet, Jason slipped the ring onto Dick’s fingers and kissed him again, hearing the cheers of the other performers but not letting go. Just as they pulled back, Zitka wrapped her trunk around the two of them, squeezing gently and Jason knew they would be okay.

 

 

“I think the manor grounds would be the best for the wedding,” Dick said, scrolling through Pinterest on his phone and looking at theme options, taking a break from patrol.

Jason sat beside him, feeling the wind in his hair and hummed happily. He didn’t care where he got married as long as it was to Dick Grayson. “I think Alfred would love that.”

Dick smiled, leaning his head on Jason’s shoulders. “It would be perfect.”

“Anywhere with you is perfect, Bluebird.” Jason hummed and then turned his attention to a raven that had fluttered down to the roof where he was lazing with Dick.

_“Something strange is happening at the port.”_

With a nod, Jason nudged Dick who glanced at the raven and shook his head. It had been a while since he told the older about his ability but it took some time to get used to. “Someday, you’re gonna put Oracle out of business and she’s gonna kick your ass,” Dick said as he got to his feet and Jason grinned.

“Here’s to hoping.”

Then, together, they took off.

**Author's Note:**

> I always think I'm gonna do something serious but I always end up with crack. What can you do?
> 
> Anyway, I have a tumblr (@behindtherobinsmask) so come say hi?


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